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Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Oral Biofilm Sampling for Microbiome Analysis in Healthy Children
Published on: December 31, 2017
Breastfeeding, Dental Biofilm Acidogenicity, and Early Childhood Caries
Pierre A M Neves1, Cecília Claudia Costa Ribeiro, Livia Maria Andaló Tenuta
1Postgraduate Programs in Maternal and Child Health, Federal University of Maranhx00E3;o, Sx00E3;o Lux00ED;s, Brazil.
Aim:
This study evaluated the acidogenicity of human milk by the dental biofilms of children with and without early childhood caries (ECC).
Method:
Biofilms of 16 children (7 with ECC; 9 caries free) were exposed to human milk or 10% sucrose solution in the crossover design, and the biofilm pH was determined.
Results:
Breastfeeding did not provoke a decrease in biofilm pH, irrespective of the children's caries status, whereas sucrose decreased the pH for both groups. In addition, higher x0394;pH5min (pH variation occurring at 5 min) was observed in the biofilms of ECC children (p < 0.05). The results suggest that breastfeeding may not contribute to ECC.
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